Taemin stood on the gently swaying piers, hoisting his pack onto his shoulders.

“Bye, Mum,” Taemin said. He wondered if it would be appropriate to reach out to her. To his surprise, his mother answered the question for him, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a hug. For a moment, he was motionless in her embrace, and then he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

They parted far too soon. His mother cleared in embarrassment—it had been so long since she had shown him even an ounce of affection—before saying, “Stay safe.”

Taemin nodded, then turned to Taesun.

“I guess this is it, huh?” Taesun said quietly. “To be honest, I didn’t think you would be leaving. Not so soon, at least.”

Taemin swallowed the lump in his throat, finding it difficult to speak. “Me too.”

“Remember what I told you, okay? Don’t look overboard unless you have to, listen more than you talk, keep your wits about you and don’t let your guard down even at night—”

“I know, I know,” Taemin huffed with a fond exasperation.

Taesun smiled at him sadly and Taemin blinked back the tears in his eyes. He would miss Taesun’s gentle nagging. The two brothers lapsed into a silence, shuffling around each other.

“Taemin! We’re leaving soon,” came Jinki’s voice from behind him. Taemin called out to let Jinki know he had heard before turning back to his brother.

“I have something for you,” Taesun said. He held out a oblong-shaped packaged wrapped in rough cloth and Taemin reached forward to take it. “I was going to give it to you for your birthday but…” Taesun shrugged. “The circumstances changed.”

Taemin gingerly unwrapped the package, gasping when his fingers met varnished mahogany wood. He all but tore the cloth away, finding himself holding a harpoon gun. He curled his hand around the wood grip and held up the gun towards the sky. The harsh light of sunset glinted off the metal arrowhead and barrel and Taemin squinted against the brilliance. The weight of it was reassuring in his grasp.

“You—oh, Taesun,” he stuttered, trying to thank his brother, but it seemed that all the words had evaporated on his tongue. He held the gun close to his chest. “Did you make this?”

Taesun nodded. “Do you like it? I spent all of last night finishing it up. I used the best materials I could get but—”

“It’s perfect,” Taemin breathed. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything prepared for you.”

Taesun waved him off. “Just come home safely, okay? And give me back the cloth,” Taesun said, tugging at the fabric. “I imagine I’ll have more use for it than you.”

Taemin laughed, pressing the cloth into Taesun’s hand before pulling his brother into a hug. Taemin’s heart swelled in his chest and he found himself clinging to Taesun’s shirt. He didn’t want to leave, but Taesun’s words reminded him why he was doing this. Another call of his name ended their goodbye short. He parted reluctantly, already missing Taesun’s warmth.

Taemin boarded the ship with lead feet. He wanted to run back to his mother and brother, tell them that he loved them and that he couldn’t bear to be away from them. Taesun would no doubt welcome him back with open arms, but he had already committed himself. Taemin leaned over the railing as the captain gave orders to unanchor and set sail. With a gentle rocking motion that had Taemin’s gut churning, the ship began to move.

Taesun and his mother’s waving figures shrank steadily, turning into black dots before winking out of existence. Taemin willed himself not to cry. He didn’t want to appear weak in front of the men and women he would be working with. Steeling himself, Taemin turned away from his hometown and faced the great expanse of ocean and infinite horizon before him.

He glanced to his side when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” Jinki said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “You’ll be seeing them soon enough. Let me introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

Other than the captain, Jinki, and himself, the crew consisted of four other deckhands. One was a wiry man with tattoo sleeves and an animal tooth pierced through his ear. He sniffed rudely when Taemin offered him his hand. The man shook his hand after staring him down for a moment. “The name’s Seungwoo,” he said, giving Taemin a twisted smile that revealed chipped teeth.

Taemin looked up when a shadow fell over him. Taemin’s eyes widened in surprise at the intimidating size of the man. The man introduced himself as Jaewook, offering a beefy hand easily the size of Taemin’s head.

The boy beside Jaewook was of average stature, close to his own height, and Taemin found himself relaxing in his presence. The boy seemed only a year or two older than him at most, and Taemin hoped they would be able to form an easy companionship. He was proven wrong, however, when the boy—Minwoo—turned his nose up at him and stalked off to stand beside Seungwoo.

The last crew member was a wiry man with a hooked nose and eyes just as sharp. “Hyunki,” the man simpered, and Taemin couldn’t help but think his reedy voice made him seem even more bird-like. He didn’t know whether to puff his chest out or curl his shoulders inwards when Hyunki eyed him up and down, nodding his approval.

* * *

It soon became apparent that Taemin was not suited for life at sea.

An hour into the trip, his stomach started rolling and he broke out into cold sweat. He felt the vomit rising in his chest but forced it down, grimacing as he swallowed the vile taste. As they travelled further, the rocking motion of the ship became more pronounced and every one of his movements took far too much effort.

“Looking rather pale there, my boy,” Youngshik commented, looking amused by Taemin’s pallor and coltish steps.

As soon as Taemin opened his mouth to tell his captain he was fine, vomit flooded his throat. Taemin clapped both his hands over his mouth and ran to the edge of the ship. He didn’t make it in time, the bile spilling through the cracks in his fingers. Taemin leaned over the railing, spewing into the waters below him.  

Taemin’s cheeks blazed with embarrassment. He could hear the rest of the crew laughing behind him, Youngshik’s roaring laughter blocking out even the sound of the ocean waves. Taemin squeezed his eyes shut.

“It happens. You’ll get used to it,” Jinki said. The man patted his back in sympathy and handed him a washcloth. Taemin took it gratefully, wiping his lips and hands. “Focus on the horizon. It’ll help a bit.”

“Thanks,” Taemin rasped.

As soon as Taemin gathered the courage to face the crew, Seungwoo spat at his feet.

“This damn kid’s just going to be a burden,” Seungwoo growled. He turned to Youngshik. “We need to turn back. Hell—throw him overboard for all I care.” He jabbed a forefinger at Taemin. “I’m not going to work with someone like him.”

Jinki stepped in front of Taemin. “He’s just not used to open waters, that’s all,” Jinki said.

Seungwoo scoffed. “The baby can’t even defend himself.”

Taemin stiffened, a retort ready on his lips. Jinki stopped him with a shake of his head.

“Seungwoo, you were no better when you started,” Jinki said, eyes narrowed. “You would do well to remember that.”

Youngshik silenced them with a clap. “Now boys, what are we fighting amongst each other for? We’re all family here, and there’s work to be done!” His tone was light, but there was no mistaking the authority behind his words.

Seungwoo sneered at Taemin and Jinki. He whirled away and stalked over to the bay, grumbling profanities that were clearly meant to be heard.

Taemin, however, did not get used to it like Jinki said he would. It got worse, in fact, especially when he laid down in the cabins at night and closed his eyes. He had no cleaning or storing of fish to distract him. The only thing he could focus on was the undulating motion of the ship and the taste of vomit in his mouth.

Taemin threw the door open with a bang, ignoring Seungwoo’s cursing, and stumbled to the side of the ship. He retched weakly, the foul liquid trailing from his lips. Giving a chest-shuddering sigh, Taemin dropped his head into the palm of his hands.

The air was cool around him, soothing his frayed nerves. Even though the ocean was the source of his distress, he found comfort in the sound of the ocean waves breaking gently against the side of the ship. Taemin breathed in deeply, the scent of the sea filling him.

Taemin straightened when he saw a glimmer of light beneath the dark surface of the water. He squinted, wondering if it was just the moonlight reflecting off the tide. All was quiet for a second, and then there was a splash of water. Taemin gasped when he saw the surge of thousands of brilliant scales moving in unison, ending in a flick of a forked tail fin.

“Taemin?” came a Jinki’s groggy voice. “What are you doing out here? Is everything alright?”

“I think I saw something!” Taemin said excitedly, looking over his shoulder before turning back to the sea. “Come look! It was like a huge fish—”

Jinki ripped him away from the edge before Taemin had finished his sentence.

Taemin looked at Jinki with wide eyes, swallowing when the man muttered a curse under his breath.

“You need to be more careful,” Jinki said. “If we’re lucky, then it’s nothing to be worried about. But you don’t normally get fish of that size around these parts…” Jinki trailed off, but Taemin understood what he was implying.

“You think it was a seabeast?” Taemin whispered.

“It might be. We won’t be checking to make sure though,” Jinki said. He pushed Taemin towards the cabin. “Come on, off to bed with you.”

Taemin nodded, falling into step with the man.

Despite his brother’s warnings to stay away from the water and the numerous stories he had heard of the creatures over the years, there was a part of him that believed the anecdotes to exaggerate the terrifying beauty and cruelty of the beasts. Surely no living creature could control something as vast and wild as the ocean as storytellers claimed. Still, Jinki’s reaction to the possibility of seeing a seabeast unnerved him.

* * *

While the sea sickness eased, it did not dissipate entirely and Taemin spent many of his waking hours folded over the edge, emptying his stomach of what little food it had. There came a point when there was nothing left to regurgitate and he would dry heave, like he was now. With a groan, Taemin slid down to his knees, leaning back against the side of the ship. He wiped the trickle of saliva from the corner of his lips and tried to focus on his inhales and exhales.

On any other day, the crew would be spitting at his feet and taunting him, but today there were only anxious whispers. As Jinki had feared, the rush of scales Taemin saw that night belonged to a seabeast. The creature was tailing them, bringing with it stagnant waters and an impenetrable fog. The absence of wind turned what should have been an expedition of only a few days into that of a fortnight.

The deckhands lingered near the edge of the ship, taking split-second peeks at the waters before pulling their heads back in.

“It’s still following us, I think. Hard to tell with all this damn fog.” Jinki’s voice sounded far away in the dense air.

“Should I shoot it?” Seungwoo asked, and Taemin heard the muffled clicking of a harpoon being mounted on a cannon.

“Shoot and I will slit your kneecaps and throw you over myself,” Youngshik growled with a hardness unexpected of a man with rosy cheeks and raucous laughter. Taemin shivered at the threat, glad that Youngshik’s words were not directed at him.

“You bloody idiot,” Hyunki whispered furiously at Seungwoo. “To kill a seabeast is to invite death. Leave the killing to the hunters.”

Taemin resisted the urge to join in on picking Seungwoo apart.

“We’re going to die anyways if we don’t do something about the devil,” Seungwoo shot back.

Taemin looked up when he heard heavy footfalls crossing the wooden boards towards him. He barely had time to think before fingers were curling around his collar and yanking him to his feet.

“Let me go!” Taemin kicked his feet and tried to pry Seungwoo’s fingers off him, but the man was unyielding. The hold around his collar tightened and Taemin gasped for air.

“It’s because of you,” Seungwoo snarled and Taemin flinched when the man’s rancid breath hit his face. “You brought this upon us by showing the devil your face!”

“Let him go, Seungwoo. We don’t need any more trouble,” Jinki said, stepping towards them with his palms raised and open in a pacifying gesture.

Seungwoo threw Taemin to the ground and he landed on his tailbone with a thud that sent pain flaring up his spine. Taemin pushed himself up to standing, glaring at Seungwoo and ignoring the throbbing in his back.

“Are you bedding him? Is that why you’re always jumping to defend him?” Minwoo sneered.

While Taemin sputtered in indignation, Jinki remained calm. “We are doing no such thing. I’m just trying to be rational here.”

“The rational thing to do here would be to give the beast what it wants,” Seungwoo said, and a shocked—Taemin refused to believe it was thoughtful—silence fell over the deck.

Taemin’s throat ran dry at the implications of Seungwoo’s words. His heart began to slam against the confines of his ribs and the roaring of blood in his ears sounded far too loud in the quiet.

Seungwoo stepped towards him, eyes hard as flints. Taemin met his stare, praying that his face did nothing to show the fear stripping the warmth from his body. Jaewook stepped to Seungwoo’s side, casting a shadow over Taemin. Minwoo and Hyunki followed, crowding around Taemin. Taemin swallowed, knees wobbling.

“No—”

Seungwoo’s head whipped towards Jinki. “Shut your damn mouth!” he snarled. “You’re not the captain around here. Unless you want to take Taemin’s place, then by all means, go ahead.”

Jinki hesitated, and Taemin’s gut dropped.

Youngshik had remained silent throughout the exchange, but now he spoke up. “Seungwoo is right. We must think of the crew,” the captain said. “Give it the boy.”

As soon as Youngshik said those words, Taemin shot towards the crates where he had left his harpoon gun. Before his fingers could close around the weapon, someone barreled into him, knocking him to the ground. Suddenly his face was being pushed into the boards and knees were digging into his back. Taemin struggled against the hands, twisting and writhing.

“Get the hell off me!” Taemin shrieked.

“Help me hold him down,” Seungwoo grunted. “Skinny little thing is stronger than he looks.”

Taemin screamed as someone twisted his arm behind his back, wrenching his shoulder free from its socket with a sickening pop. Tears sprung to his eyes and Taemin squeezed them shut, gritting his teeth against the mind-searing burn.

He pretended to go limp. When he felt the bodies relaxing above him, he bucked wildly, trying to dislodge the weight. A punch to the head sent pain spiking through his body and black stars flashing across his vision.

The ship lurched and wave after wave of nausea crashed over him. “Go to hell, all of you,” Taemin spat out the blood and vomit in his mouth.

He heard the clanking of chains—an anchor being dragged along wood—and then rough fingers around his ankle, binding a death sentence to him. With a jolt, he was lifted onto shoulders.

“Here’s your goddamn peace offering!” Seungwoo yelled, and then Taemin was thrown over the side of the ship, plummeting twenty feet into the ocean below.

Taemin plunged into the water, the impact immediately causing water to flood his airways. The anchor attached to his ankle quickened the speed of his descent. Taemin was aware of only three things: the water pressing down on him from all sides, the blood roaring in his ears, the lightness of the surface water and how he needed to be there. He floundered against the weight, arms reaching upwards even as he was pulled down deeper and deeper. Taemin turned his head slightly when he caught a shimmer of light in the peripheral of his vision.

The strangled noise he made in the back of his throat escaped him as a flurry of bubbles. He moved his limbs desperately in an effort to get away from the beast, but his legs and arms were so heavy and his chest burned with the urgent need for oxygen.

A terrifying beauty indeed, Taemin thought numbly as the merman slid towards him with ease, powerful tail rippling gold even in the dimness. At that moment, he felt a strange calmness. The water was dark and heavy around him, and he found himself hoping that the coldness would ease the pain of having his skin peeled from his body, that he would be unconscious by the time fingers burrowed into his stomach and scraped him clean.

Taemin blinked, vision tunneling, and then the beast was at his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him into its torso. Taemin clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the talons to burst through his skin.

Instead, he felt soft lips against his own, drawing out the water from his lungs and replacing it with oxygen. A hand wrapped around his ankle. Taemin forced himself to open his eyes against the sting of the salt water. He pulled away, glancing down to find knife-like talons creating a clean cut through the chains. Then there was a considerable lightness.

Fingers curled around his chin, then those lips were back on his, moving gently over his. And somehow, for some crazy reason, Taemin felt safe.  

Only then did Taemin let himself fall into the blackness.

A/N: An early update, yay! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and that you preferred this version to the one from the 30 day challenge. Thanks for reading :D